


Baby Blues

by mikkimouse



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Domestic, Established Relationship, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 11:20:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17243318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikkimouse/pseuds/mikkimouse
Summary: After visiting a destroyed Galra village, the paladins return to the castle with one survivor: a baby Galra who absolutely won't let go of Keith.---Kolivan responded quickly to Allura's hail, and gave them the good news: the Blade of Marmora did indeed work with placing war orphans with foster families, and they had several who might be a good fit.The bad news was that it would be at least two weeks before they could get to the castle to pick the kid up."How are we supposed to handle a Galra baby for two weeks?!" Keith exclaimed.





	Baby Blues

**Author's Note:**

> Me: "There's probably too much about trying to get a kid to sleep in this fic."  
> Me: *considers the amount of time I've spent putting my godson to sleep*  
> Me: Never mind, there is the right amount.
> 
> Yet another fic under the "I have to deal with a screaming child, thus so do my OTPs" umbrella. This one was actually conceived roughly, oh, three days after my godson was born? I described the first scene to my friend (specifically, the part about the baby Galra clinging to Keith's leg), and she laughed so hard she almost fell over and begged me to write it. 
> 
> Said godson is now almost 18 months old so uh. It took me awhile. XD
> 
> Thank you to [cobrilee](http://cobrilee.tumblr.com/) for the beta read and for the title. <3

Keith stared at the screaming infant clinging to his leg. Specifically, the screaming infant Galra who had latched onto his leg about ten seconds after they'd gotten back onto the castle and showed no sign of either shutting up or letting go. 

He could honestly say he'd never expected this situation, but given everything else they'd seen in space, maybe he should've. 

"So, er, where did you find...him? Her? Them?" Allura asked. 

"In one of the villages." Shiro took off his helmet and scrubbed a hand through his sweaty hair. "It had been completely destroyed. This little guy was the only survivor." 

Hunk shook his head. "I can't believe the Galra would turn on their own settlement like that." 

"I can," Allura said darkly. 

Keith held up his leg. The baby Galra clung to him and wailed impressively. "What do we do with him? We can't keep a baby on the castle!" 

"Keith does have a point," Coran said. "It's a very dangerous place for us, let alone a small, helpless child who would need constant supervision!" 

He wasn't kidding; Keith felt like _they_ still needed constant supervision in the castle sometimes. He cringed at the thought of something happening to this kid, especially after everything he'd already been through. "We should probably contact Kolivan. Maybe they'll know what to do?" 

"Really?" Lance sounded skeptical. "You think they can help?" 

Keith shrugged. He didn't know why he thought the Blade of Marmora might have any idea what to do with an orphaned Galra toddler, but they'd probably be more equipped to deal with it than Team Voltron was. "You got a better idea?"

"It's a good idea, Keith," Allura said. "The Blade has been building their networks for ten thousand years. Surely they know of a way to handle refugees and orphans." 

"And if they don't, I bet Matt does!" Pidge piped up. "The resistance fighters have been doing the same thing. Granted, not for ten thousand _years_ , but they've definitely handled resettlement for those who've lost homes and planets to the Galra." 

"Oh, yes, thank you, Pidge." Allura smiled. "I'll contact both of them and see if they can help us find a place for this child. In the meantime, Keith, he appears to be quite attached to you. Will you be all right watching him?" 

Keith looked down at the screaming baby, still clinging to his leg. "I guess? I don't really know what to do with a human baby, let alone a Galra one." 

"Oh, that's easy! With a few exceptions, babies are mostly the same." Coran strode over and knelt to pick up the little Galra. "You just have to—" 

The baby _shrieked,_ and everybody covered their ears.

Holy quiznak, Keith thought it had been loud before. Apparently that was nothing.

He took the baby away from Coran, with no thought in his mind other than finding a way to make the baby be quiet. 

The baby's shrieks subsided to a whimper, and he buried his face in Keith's neck. 

The entire room sighed in relief. Keith would have thought that was an exaggeration, but he actually heard it. 

"Jeez, who knew the kid could actually get _louder_?" Lance said. 

Pidge stared at the baby like it was the most bizarre thing she'd ever seen. "He was making all that noise because he wanted to be held? Why didn't you pick him up sooner?" 

Keith cautiously bounced the baby, and it latched tighter onto his neck. "How was I supposed to know that screaming meant he wanted to be picked up?" 

Hunk sighed heavily. "Babies, man." 

Keith groaned and turned to Allura. "So, when did you say you would contact Kolivan?" 

"Now," she said. "Definitely now."

***

Fortunately, Kolivan responded quickly to Allura's hail, and gave them the good news: the Blade of Marmora did indeed work with placing war orphans with foster families, and they had several who might be a good fit. 

The bad news was that it would be at least two weeks before they could get to the castle to pick the kid up. 

"How are we supposed to handle a Galra baby for two weeks?!" Keith exclaimed. 

"He seems to be a healthy child," Kolivan said. "That's good. You will not need to worry about ensuring he grows properly." 

"That sounds very weird," Hunk said. 

"He also appears to have imprinted on Keith," Kolivan continued, like he wasn't actually hearing anything else. "He likely smells that you have Galra blood."

Keith glanced from Kolivan to the baby, who was still latched onto his neck. With claws, Keith was pretty sure. "So that means I'm the one who has to take care of him?" 

"At least until he feels comfortable with the others," Kolivan said. "We'll be there to retrieve him as soon as we can."

"But I don't know anything about babies!" Keith protested. 

"You are a paladin of Voltron and a member of the Blade of Marmora," Kolivan said solemnly. "You'll figure it out."

***

The first thing Keith did was name the baby Jack so he could quit calling him "the baby." 

"You can't call him Jack!" Lance argued. "He's Galra! He probably needs a name like...Kragnor the Unclean or Akforth the Brave or—" 

Keith glared at him. "First off, none of those are actual Galra names. Second off, Kolivan said he's my responsibility, so I get to name him. And finally, we're only going to have him two weeks and his new family will probably give him another name."

"I think Jack is cute," Pidge said. "I wonder how old he is?" 

Jack looked up from where he was chewing on the ends of Keith's hair and gave her a toothy grin. Now that Keith had accepted he was basically going to be a jungle gym for a baby Galra for the next two weeks, Jack was a lot happier and more curious about the others. He'd even let Shiro hold him for thirty seconds before he demanded to go back to Keith.

"Kolivan said Galra are basically babies until they're three," Keith said. "So I guess he can't be any older than that." 

Jack growled around his mouthful of Keith's hair. 

"So...how _do_ we keep a Galra baby alive for two weeks?" Pidge asked. 

Keith shrugged. "Feed him, change his diapers, play with him? It's only two weeks." 

Really, how hard could it be?

***

It took all of three hours for Keith to regret thinking that question, because three hours later was when he was trying to put Jack to sleep. He'd been yawning for the past twenty minutes, and starting to nod off on Keith's shoulder, so it should've been easy to get him to lie down. 

That was a terrible, horrible misjudgment on Keith's part.

No sooner did he set Jack in the makeshift crib they'd put together for him than Jack snapped back awake, wailing like someone was trying to cut off his arm. Giant tears rolled down his purple cheeks and he reached up for Keith.

Keith's arms were killing him after holding Jack for most of the afternoon. "Seriously? You're tired. You want to sleep. I know you want to sleep." 

The answer was a louder sob, and Jack crawled to the edge of the crib and kept reaching up. 

It was heartbreaking. And the poor kid was totally alone in the world now. Everything he'd ever known was gone. 

Keith knew what that was like. 

He picked Jack back up and let him snuggle into his neck. Jack's sobs immediately subsided to whimpers. 

"Sorry," Keith said. "I know you've had a rough day. I don't know why you like _me_ so much, but if you want me to hold you, I'll hold you." 

Jack made a soft gurgling noise that Keith decided to take as agreement. 

"Just until you fall asleep," Keith said sternly, even though he knew damn well he was pretending and he was pretty sure Jack could tell, too. "I can't carry you around all the time. You are going to need to learn how to let the others hang out with you for a little bit, at least."

This time, the only response he got was deep, even breathing. 

Keith waited for another few minutes, but when Jack didn't wake up, he took a chance and _gently_ laid him in the crib. 

Jack snuffled, but didn't wake up. 

Keith sighed in relief, left the room, and sagged against the wall outside. Finally, peace and quiet and _freedom_. 

If this is what having a baby was like, it was going to be a _long_ two weeks.

***

Keith shot awake because someone was screaming. 

He rolled out of bed and drew his knife before his sleepy brain woke up enough to pinpoint the noise. It was coming from the room next to his and Shiro's, and it was Jack. 

Keith bolted into the next room, his heart pounding. Jack was screaming bloody murder; _something_ had to be wrong. 

He flipped on the lamp and went straight to the crib, where Jack's face was screwed up and tears ran down his furry cheeks. 

And then Keith smelled it. The most godawful stench he'd ever smelled in his life. 

He looked down at Jack. More specifically, he looked down at Jack's diaper. 

"What did you _eat_?" Keith asked. 

Jack just screamed louder, and Keith winced at the volume. 

Carefully, he got Jack out of the crib and took him to the changing table. Coran was the one who'd gotten the nursery set up, which was good, because the rest of them didn't have a clue what a baby needed. Keith couldn't even remember the last time he'd changed a diaper. Probably at the home before he'd been accepted to Galaxy Garrison. 

He put the screaming, wiggling toddler on the changing pad, and had to pull Jack back from rolling off the table entirely three times before he could get a diaper and wipes. Keith blamed the fact that it was the middle of the night and he'd been sound asleep up until five minutes ago for his sluggish reflexes. 

"Come on, I'm trying to get you out of the dirty diaper!" Keith pleaded after time number four.

Jack did not care. Jack continued writhing and screaming. Keith was starting to get a headache.

"Keith?" 

Keith turned to see Shiro rubbing his eyes, his hair adorably mussed from sleep. He winced. "Sorry. You can go back to sleep." 

Shiro smiled wryly. "Not really. He's kind of loud." 

Keith sighed. "Yeah, I know."

Shiro sidled up next to him. "It's fine. Let me help you. Trying to get him changed?" 

Keith groaned. "He won't stop _moving_." 

"I'll hold him down, you get the diaper," Shiro said. 

"Thank you," Keith said with feeling.

With Shiro there holding Jack still—well, holding him _more_ still—it was easier to get his onesie unsnapped and pushed out of the way so they could change him. 

"I don't think I've changed a diaper in ten years," Keith muttered. 

"You're one up on me," Shiro said with an amused grin. "This will be my first."

Jack finally blinked his eyes open and seemed to register that Keith and Shiro were there. His cries finally subsided. 

"Oh, thank God." Keith pulled out the wipes and started to undo the diaper. "Are you ready for this?" 

"Can anyone ever be ready for what they find in a diaper?" Shiro asked. 

"Good point," Keith said, and got it open as quickly as he could. 

That was...a lot of poop. Holy crap. How did one baby hold that much poop? And the _smell_. Keith was going to have nightmares about that smell for the rest of his natural life. 

Just as he lifted Jack's legs to wipe, an arc of pee shot up toward the ceiling. 

Keith dropped his legs and jumped back. " _Shit!_ " 

Unfortunately, that had the side effect of changing the direction off the pee, which went straight onto Shiro's tank top. 

Shiro cursed and jerked to the side, and Keith grabbed another diaper and slapped it on top of Jack to stop the onslaught. 

Jack giggled and shoved his fist into his mouth. 

Keith winced at Shiro's shirt. "Sorry." 

"It's fine," Shiro said. "That was...a lot of pee."

"I know." Keith stared down at Jack, who was still giggling like the whole thing was a really good joke. "I've got him. Why don't you, uh, go change?" 

Shiro held the shirt out from him. "Yeah. I think I'll do that. And shower. Are you sure you've got him?" 

Keith looked down at Jack, who beamed toothily around his fist, and sighed. "Yeah. I'll be fine." 

Shiro left, and Keith went back to getting a clean diaper on a toddler who apparently was hiding a fire hose in his pants. 

He lost two more diapers and another onesie to the pee before he finally got Jack changed. By then, of course, Jack was wide awake. 

It was another forty-five minutes before Keith got him down again, and by that time, he only had about twenty minutes before he'd need to be back up anyway. 

With a resigned sigh, Keith went to get a shower instead.

***

For the first couple of days on the castle, Jack flatly refused to have anything to do with anyone who wasn't Keith. He clung to Keith's legs and demanded to be held, and although he made a lot of noises, Keith couldn't have said what any of them actually meant. He did his best to pretend like he understood, though, and that seemed to make Jack happy. 

It was _exhausting_ , though, being the sole focus of a toddler. Jack needed constant supervision, and Keith had to be the one to provide it. Even if he was gradually warming up to the others, nine times out of ten he still wanted Keith first. 

After two days of that and two nights of pathetically little sleep, Keith was just about at his wit's end. 

After another two-hour round of "sing every song I know and some I don't to get this kid to finally fall asleep," Keith staggered back to the room he shared with Shiro, shed his clothes, and collapsed on the bed in nothing but his underwear. His arms hurt. His legs hurt. His back hurt. Who knew kids were this much freaking _work?_

The door slid open. "Hey, you haven't had dinner," Shiro said. 

"Sleep now. Food later," Keith said into the pillow. 

The bed dipped, and Shiro rested a hand in the middle of his back. "I brought you a plate."

Keith groaned, but he sat up and accepted the plate of food Shiro had brought for him. It smelled delicious. He would never understand how Hunk managed to make food goo better than just goo.

Shiro rubbed his back, and Keith leaned into him while he ate. 

"Kids are hard," he said after a few bites. 

Shiro nodded. "They are." 

"I don't know what I’m doing with him." Keith picked at his food. "I don't have any idea how to raise a baby Galra. What if I'm doing it all wrong?" 

"You're not," Shiro said. "You're doing fine. And he'll be with the Blades soon, with a new foster family who will take good care of him." 

Keith swallowed another bite. "Does it make me a bad person that I'm looking forward to that?" 

Shiro rested his head on Keith's. "No. I think it makes you someone who wasn't expecting to have a kid to take care of and is now trying his best."

Keith closed his eyes and sank into Shiro's shoulder. He cared about Jack, he _did_ , but this was...a lot. And they were really lucky they hadn't had to deal with a Galra attack yet. What were they going to do with Jack then, when they were all out in the Lions and Coran and Allura were the only two in the castle? It wasn't like any of them could take a baby in the Lions _with_ them. 

"It'll be fine," Shiro said with a lot more conviction than Keith felt. "Go on, finish eating." 

Keith ate. He still wanted sleep, but the food was helping. Shiro was helping more, though. So was the quiet. He really, really liked the quiet. 

"You know, if you need a break, you can ask us to take over for a little while," Shiro said. "I know Jack's more attached to you, but he's getting better with the rest of us." 

It was almost too much to hope for. "Are you sure?" Keith asked. "I feel like it's my responsibility. Since he kind of imprinted on me."

Shiro hugged him. "We're a team. We're in this together. And we've survived a lot worse." 

Keith laughed a little. "I don't know. I think I'd be more comfortable infiltrating a Galra base alone." He kissed Shiro's cheek. "Thank you." 

Shiro kissed his forehead. "Anytime." 

A soft, hiccupping whine started in the room beside theirs. 

Keith froze and prayed Jack would settle back down. 

The noise increased from "whine" to "sob." 

Keith groaned and put down his plate, but Shiro put a hand on his shoulder to keep him down and stood up instead. "Finish eating. I've got this." 

"Are you sure?" Keith asked. 

Shiro nodded. "If he doesn't go down in fifteen minutes, I'll come get you." 

"I owe you one," Keith said with feeling. 

Shiro paused at the door and winked at him. "You know, I have some ideas about how you can pay me back." 

Keith perked up. "Oh yeah?" 

Shiro grinned. "Later."

***

Gradually, Jack got used to the others. Shiro first, and most obviously, since he and Keith were closest, but it didn't take long after that for Jack to warm up to everyone else. Keith was _extremely_ grateful for that, because he really didn't have the slightest clue what he was doing. And it was good to have backup. 

Well. Mostly good. 

He walked into the kitchen the first day Pidge and Hunk took Jack to feed him and stopped dead in his tracks. 

The kitchen was _covered_ in food goo. It stuck to the cabinets and oozed down the walls. In the center of it, Pidge and Hunk had it all over their hair and clothes, and Jack was in a high chair laughing like he was having the time of his life. 

"What," Keith said. There should probably have been a question after that, but he really couldn't formulate one. 

"So he really likes food goo," Hunk said. 

Keith looked past him to Jack, who had somehow managed to smash food goo onto every visible part of his body. "I can see that. Did he actually eat any of it?" 

"He did!" Pidge said. "He really did. He just, uh...played with it a little more than he ate it." 

Hunk stared off into the corner, like he was remembering war stories. "I haven't seen anything like that since my niece got ahold of Grandma Garrett's cherry chocolate pie." 

Jack howled and threw a handful of food goo through the air in a perfect arc to land right on Hunk's head. Pidge snickered, and Jack laughed and rocked in his high chair. 

Keith looked around the kitchen again and then at Jack. "You guys do realize this means someone has to give him a bath, right?" 

Pidge and Hunk glanced at each other and shouted, "Not it!" 

Keith glared at them. "I'm not the one who made the mess." 

Hunk patted his shoulder. "But Jack likes you best, anyway." 

"We'll clean the kitchen?" Pidge offered. 

Keith picked Jack up out of the high chair and cringed at the food good that dripped from his fur onto the floor. "You'd better."

***

Getting food goo out of Galra fur was a _lot_ more difficult than it sounded, and by the time they were finished with bath time, Jack was clean and Keith was almost entirely soaked. The bathroom looked like he'd been fighting a zombie in the tub, but Keith decided that was a problem for someone else on the castle. 

Unfortunately, that meant it was now time for sleep, which was still Jack's _least_ favorite time of day. 

He spent a solid thirty minutes screaming right in Keith's ear while Keith bounced him, rocked him, and sang to him in an effort to get him calm enough to lie down. Finally, Jack stopped crying and settled into making random cooing noises and kicking Keith's thigh in an effort to keep himself awake. 

That was okay. Keith could handle this. He could outlast a toddler. At least the screaming was done. 

It took another thirty minutes and several rounds of humming the three slow songs he knew, but Jack stopped kicking him and his breathing slowly evened out. When Keith craned his head back, he could see Jack's eyes drifting shut. 

Thank God. Just a few more minutes and he'd be able to put him down and go do something that _wasn't_ dealing with a fussy baby. 

The door slid open and Lance strolled in. "Hey, Keith, I've been—" 

Jack's head snapped up and he let out a wail. 

Keith was going to _kill_ Lance. He turned to him and glared. "Get. _Out_." 

Lance's eyes doubled in size, and he scrambled out of the room faster than Keith had ever seen him move. 

Keith went back to comforting the screaming Jack. "Don't worry, kiddo. I'm going to strangle him and shove him out the nearest airlock. Now will you please go back to sleep?" 

Jack screamed louder. 

Keith sighed. "Yeah, I didn't think so."

***

After he finally got Jack down—again—he found Shiro in the lounge and flopped on the couch beside him. 

Shiro carded fingers through his hair. "Lance says he's very, very sorry." 

"As soon as I can move again, Lance is very, very dead." 

Shiro laughed softly. "If you kill him, how are we going to form Voltron?" 

"We'll figure something out," Keith mumbled, his eyes dropping shut. 

Shiro stroked the back of his ear. "What if I told you I told Lance his punishment is that he has to take care of Jack tonight?" 

Keith's eyes snapped back open and he lifted his head. "Are you serious?" 

Shiro was grinning. "One hundred percent. He's not happy about it, but he does feel really bad about waking Jack back up. Apparently one of his nieces was super difficult to get to sleep and his sister would _ream_ anyone who so much as coughed too loudly when she was napping." 

Keith rolled onto his back so he could rest his head in Shiro's lap and still be looking at him. "Have I told you lately that I love you?" 

"Every day." Shiro smiled. "But I could stand to hear it a little more." 

"Greedy," Keith murmured, and tugged him down into a kiss.

***

After that, they got into more of a routine. Keith still had Jack toddling after him for bulk of the time, but the rest of the team pitched in to give him breaks. Pidge took him whenever she was waiting for the computer to run diagnostics and tried to teach Jack more of the Altean she'd learned. Hunk and Lance took him for every meal time, because Hunk was really the only one of them who could cook and Lance, shockingly, was the best at making sure Jack actually ate and didn't just fling food goo all over the kitchen. 

Coran was astoundingly good at keeping Jack occupied with interesting things on the castle that were the least likely to kill him. The only thing Keith had of interest was his knife, and when he'd let Jack play with it, Coran had nearly had a heart attack on the spot. Surprisingly, of all of them, Allura was the worst with Jack. Keith wasn't sure if it was because Jack was a Galra or because Jack was a baby, but she just didn't seem to grasp what to do with him, judging by the number of times Keith found Jack squirming out of her hold as she was trying to put bows in his fur. 

On day thirteen, Kolivan contacted them with rendezvous coordinates. The drop would take place first thing the next morning. Keith looked at Jack, who had fallen asleep with Lance, Pidge, and Hunk in a makeshift pillow fort, and confirmed they'd be there. 

That night, Shiro was the one who got up with Jack. In fact, Keith didn't notice that he'd gone until he woke up and Shiro wasn't lying beside him. 

He thought maybe Shiro had just gone to the bathroom until he heard soft singing coming from the room next door. Keith couldn't quite make out the words, but he could tell it was Shiro's voice. 

He got out of bed and padded into the next room. Shiro stood in the middle of the room, swaying with a sleepy Jack, who was making soft "I'm not sleepy" noises even with his eyes closed. Now that Keith was in the room, he could actually hear that Shiro was singing "Can't Help Falling in Love." 

Keith's heart jumped. It was the first song they'd danced to the same night they had started dating, and he still got a thrill thinking of Shiro's voice in his ear as he'd softly sung along to the words. 

It did something to him to see Shiro singing the same song to Jack to get him to sleep. 

Before he could think about it too much, Keith stepped over and put his hands on Shiro's arms to sway with him. 

Shiro opened his eyes, smiled, and kept singing. 

They danced like that until Jack fell asleep again, and Shiro set him back down in his crib and they hurriedly sneaked into the hallway. 

As soon as the door was closed, Shiro kissed him, and it was all Keith could do to stay upright when he did. There were kisses and then there were _kisses_ , and this was definitely the latter. He wrapped his arms around Shiro's neck and held on for dear life. 

"Um," Keith said when he could breathe again. He still couldn't think. 

"Sorry." Shiro rested his forehead against Keith's. "I love you." 

Keith buried his hands in Shiro's hair. "I love you, too."

They stayed there for a moment, and just when Keith was about to suggest they go back to bed, Shiro whispered, "I want a family with you." 

Keith froze. That had not been where he'd expected that to go. "Uh...right now?" 

Shiro pulled back and ducked his head in a way that told Keith he was probably blushing. "Not right now. Right now, we should sleep."

"Okay," Keith said slowly. Shiro was right, they did need sleep. 

But that was definitely a conversation they were revisiting in the morning.

***

Kolivan boarded the castle with two Blades and two more female Galra in tow. Jack hid behind Keith's legs and eyed them all suspiciously.

"This is Targale and Zahn," Kolivan said. "They've been foster parents for quite some time, but they've been looking to adopt." 

Keith nodded. "I'm Keith." He tried to step aside, but Jack wasn't having it, so he settled for gesturing behind him. "This is Jack." 

Kolivan raised an eyebrow. "Jack?" 

"That was _my_ reaction!" Lance exclaimed.

Keith rolled his eyes. He should've just brought Shiro, but everyone else had insisted on coming as well. 

One of the Galra—Zahn, Keith thought—knelt to the ground and said something Keith couldn't translate, although he'd learned a fair bit of the language with the Blades. 

Jack's response was a growl. 

Zahn looked shocked, and Keith winced. "Sorry," he said. "He does that." 

It probably didn't help that they'd all encouraged it by growling back at him because they thought it was funny. 

"You know, we have some milkshakes in the lounge," Hunk said. "Why don't you all come in there and get to know each other? Oh, and I made hors d'oeuvres!"

"What is a 'hors d'oeuvres'?" Targale asked suspiciously. 

Hunk grinned and walked over to throw his arm around her. "Oh, man, they're delicious savory little finger foods that you can eat in one bite. I've been practicing some new recipes based on the research I've done into historical Galra dishes. It's kind of hard, since you know, I'm not super familiar with the spices and stuff, but..." 

He continued to ramble about food, leading four bemused Galra toward the lounge. From his position behind Keith's legs, Jack continued to growl. 

Keith sighed and picked him up. 

"Your friend is becoming quite the diplomat," Kolivan said. 

"Hunk says food and math are the two universal languages, and food is tastier," Keith said. 

Kolivan looked over at Jack. "He appears to be healthy. Good work." 

Jack was staring at Kolivan with naked curiosity, so Keith held him out. "Want to hold him?"

Kolivan hesitated for all of five seconds before taking Jack, who continued to gape at this new person before very slowly and deliberately poking his finger into Kolivan's cheek.

"You will be a fine warrior," Kolivan said. 

Jack blew a spit bubble.

***

Targale and Zahn spent the better part of four hours in the lounge with Jack, getting to know him. Apparently Kolivan had planned for this contingency, because he and the other Blades met with Allura and Shiro to discuss future strategies. Keith went back and forth between the lounge and the bridge, alternating between being part of the strategy discussion and checking on Jack. The third time, Hunk shoved him out of the lounge with a "he's _fine_ , let him get to know his new moms." 

Which, okay, Keith was probably being a little overprotective. But Jack had lost everything, and they'd been taking care of him for two whole weeks. It was only natural that he'd want to make sure Jack was adjusting to the new people. 

Fortunately, it looked like he was, at least from the last glimpse Keith got. 

Before he knew it, it was time to say good-bye. Jack looked scared and a little confused, his head swiveling back and forth between Keith and Zahn, like he was trying to figure out why Keith wasn't coming with them. 

Keith rubbed his back. "You're going with people who can give you a good home," he explained, even if he wasn't sure Jack understood. "You'll be safe there. And we'll see you again." 

He gave Jack one last hug and handed him back to Zahn, and then they left. 

The castle suddenly felt a lot quieter. 

Hunk let out a loud sniffle. "I gotta go bake something." 

Pidge sighed and clapped his arm. "I'll help you out." 

Even Lance looked a little teary-eyed. 

Keith glanced at Shiro, who had his arms crossed and a pensive look on his face. Or maybe more thoughtful than pensive. 

Keith looked back at the airlock through which the Blades and Jack had just left, and when he turned back, Shiro was gone.

***

Keith found him in the nursery, clearing away the handful of things the Blades hadn't taken for Jack. It wasn't much—a couple of onesies that Jack had destroyed too much to be worth keeping and a couple of castle things that had doubled all right as toys—but Shiro was holding them with an unexpected reverence.

"I didn't know you wanted kids," Keith said quietly. 

Shiro gave him half a smile. "It's been a long time since I've thought about it. We've had other things to deal with." 

Keith snorted. That was an understatement. "Is that why you didn't say anything sooner?" 

"It's only been a few months," Shiro said. "The kid conversation isn't really one you spring on people this early." 

Admittedly, Keith didn't have much experience in romantic relationships—or rather, he had less than Shiro—but that didn't sound right. "Why not? Wouldn't you want to figure out early on if someone wants the same thing as you, so you don't waste time with them if you're going to break up anyway?" 

Shiro pressed his lips together and shook his head, like he was fighting a wider smile. "Some people don't know that early if they want to be serious. Kids, family, futures...those are serious conversations." 

"But we're not talking about other people," Keith pointed out. "We're talking about us. And I've known for years that I want you in my life. This, us...I want to have those serious conversations with you." 

Shiro paused and turned back from the box where he was stacking Jack's things. "You do?" 

He sounded _surprised_. Keith crossed the room so he could take Shiro's hand. "Of course I do. I'm pretty sure you're it for me." 

Keith had thought that was obvious, but from the way Shiro's breath hitched, maybe it hadn't been. 

Shiro pulled him into a hug, and Keith closed his eyes and pressed his face into Shiro's shoulder. They stayed there, holding each other, and Keith thought about how much Shiro meant to him, how much it meant to him to be able to do _this_. 

"I want a family with you," Shiro whispered. "After all this. If that's something you'd want." 

Keith held him tighter. "I've never thought about it," he admitted. "Before, I didn't think I'd be anywhere to have one, you know? But..." 

But being with Shiro had changed everything about his life. Why wouldn't it change this as well? 

He considered the way his heart had twisted the night before to see Shiro rocking Jack, singing softly, and how it had just...overwhelmed him with everything he felt for Shiro and how much he wanted from their lives together. 

"But?" Shiro prompted him gently. 

"But I think I would want a family with you," Keith said. 

Shiro smiled so brilliantly it made Keith's heart hurt. "You would?" 

Keith nodded and cupped Shiro's cheek. "Yeah. I'd like that."

Shiro kissed him deeply, and Keith closed his eyes and sank into it. This kiss was somehow different from so many others they'd shared: a promise, a hope for the future, a commitment to finding the way together because they were both serious about this, about each other. 

"I just have one request for when we do start a family," Keith said.

Shiro rested their foreheads together. "What's that?" 

"Maybe we could start with adopting a kid old enough that they like to sleep through the night?" 

Shiro laughed and kissed his nose. "We can definitely discuss it."

**Author's Note:**

> "How many of the scenes with the baby are inspired by personal experience, M?"  
> " _All of them._ "
> 
> Come see me on:  
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